The 12 Inch Rule of Leadership: Proven Strategies For Career Success

By Kaliym Islam

Attention all Emerging Leaders who want to 1) learn an adaptive leadership model used by high performing leaders in virtually every industry 2) develop leadership capabilities that lead to career success and 3) get unstuck in your career.

 

If you're looking to become a better leader and succeed in your career " then this brand-new book by award winning expert Kaliym Islam, Ph.D., is for you. It reveals how emerging leaders can identify and navigate the common challenges faced by every leader by applying the 12-Inch Rule leadership framework.

 

In fact, here's just a sample of what Kaliym Islam, Ph.D. will cover for you in the pages of this insightful new book: "The 12-Inch Rule of Leadership: Proven Strategies for Career Success"

 

•How to become a better leader 

•How to get the recognition you deserve   

•How to get promoted  

... and much, MUCH More!

 

And, as a special bonus, we'll also reveal a free leadership assessment that will uncover how you currently compare to other leaders! 

Never have you had such a unique opportunity to have this EXPERT take you by the hand and not only explain how to apply the same principles that made the individuals trained in the 12-Inch Rule so successful in their careers, but also navigate the common challenges faced by today's leader! 

 

 

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: TrainingPro Academy Press
• Release date: May 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781736916018

Book preview

Preface

Just over thirty-eight years ago, I was initiated into the brotherhood of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated, a historically African American Greek lettered fraternity founded at Howard University in Washington, DC, on January 9, 1914. The founders of the organization—A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I. Brown—established the fraternity to exemplify the ideals of Brotherhood, Scholarship, and Service, while simultaneously exemplifying an inclusive perspective to serve the community. This vision was a dramatic departure from the principles of other organizations that focused on exclusivity.

Sigma men are expected to function as vehicles who use their skills to deliver services to the general community, not for enriching themselves and/or their immediate families. As a result, individuals view the fraternity as an international organization of leaders.

The fraternity’s success in this effort is evidenced by its long history of producing exceptional leaders in several fields, including science and education, with members like George Washington Carver, the scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor whose studies and teaching revolutionized agriculture in the Southern US; and James Weldon Johnson, the author, politician, and diplomat who authored Lift Every Voice and Sing.

The brotherhood has also produced heads of state like Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of the Republic of Ghana, and Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first president of Nigeria, along with activists such as Dr. Huey P. Newton, and Reverend Al Sharpton.

It is this commitment to leadership development, service, and inclusion that compelled Bill Clinton, former president of the United States, to join the organization. It is also what inspired me to seek membership close to forty years ago.

In the nine weeks, two days, four hours, and twenty-one minutes that it took me to become a member of Phi Beta Sigma, I learned several life lessons. I learned about humility, the importance of teamwork, and helping others. I learned how to overcome adversity, and I developed the ability to be vulnerable—without becoming vulnerable. Today, however, after close to forty years, the concept of the 12-Inch Rule still stands out as the most influential lesson.

How Is This Book Organized?

This book is organized around the principles of the 12-Inch Rule. Each chapter (except chapters one, fourteen and fifteen) contain an examination of the themes and findings for that principle, along with some specific, associated leadership activities that the reader can use right away. Those chapters also include a case study from one of the participants that serves as an example of how to apply the principle in a real-world environment. Chapters one and fifteen are introductions and summaries respectively. Chapter fourteen is an interview that traces the leadership journey of one of the participants from the time they were trained in the 12-Inch Rule to their current leadership role. Additionally, I’ve included an appendix with resources designed to help you on your leadership journey. Finally, I give you the opportunity to join a community of leaders to further the conversation about how you might apply the 12-Inch Rule in your role as a leader. Ultimately, findings from this project add to the current body of knowledge concerning leadership.

The Contributors

To unlock the code and understand how the lived experiences of individuals trained in the 12-Inch Rule affected their success as leaders, I interviewed fourteen members of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated (and thus trained in the 12-Inch Rule) who also ascended to leadership roles in their respective organizations. Eighty percent of the participants had over fifteen years of leadership experience. Twenty percent had less than five. The contributors worked in higher education, K-12 education, manufacturing technology, government, and the private business sector. Sixty percent identified themselves as executive-level leaders, and forty percent identified themselves as middle management professionals. I'd like to acknowledge the willingness of these Men About Business to share their journeys with the hope that their stories and experiences empower the next generation of emerging leaders. The individuals who contributed are listed below.

Rev. Tyree Anderson, D. Min. - Sr. Pastor/CEO First Baptist Church of Ensley

Cedrick Ashley, JD - Editor-in-Chief of the American Bar Association (ABA) GPSolo Magazine

Nigel Coelho - Director of Manufacturing - Food Service Operations at Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA

Michael Dove, LSMBB - Vice President, Center of Process Excellence at PSCU

Jerome Evans - Sales Executive at Ferguson Waterworks and Outside Sales at Ferguson

R.J. Gardner, Ph.D. - President & CEO of Gardner Synergy Logistics, LLC

Bennie Harris, Ph.D. - Senior Vice President at Morehouse School of Medicine

Philip Harris, DBA - District Recovery Manager at Broward County Public Schools

Jean-Guy Lauture, MPP - IT Director, Orange, New Jersey

Reginald Sluch - Managing Partner at The NOLA Group, LLC *Dayforce HCM Implementation/Support

Kobina Thomas - International Sales Manager, UPS

Joseph F. West, ScD - Managing Director, Capgenus

Mark Williams - Assistant Superintendent, Plainfield Board of Education

Will Worley - Principal, East Orange Campus High School

What Can You Achieve with This Book?

This book will help you develop leadership techniques that lead to career success. Through the stories and insights shared by contributors, you will learn the skills and tactics required to help you refine and advance your existing leadership skills, attain recognition from your peers, and become a more effective leader. The 12-Inch Rule of Leadership: Proven Strategies for Career Success will help you become a better leader, get the recognition you deserve, and perhaps more importantly, advance in your career.

Chapter 1

Introduction

What Is the 12-Inch Rule?

The 12-Inch Rule is a set of standards by which Sigma men measure themselves; a guide that epitomizes a way of life. This rule comprises twelve discrete behaviors: time value, best performance of duty, perseverance, the worth of example, the virtue of patience, talent expression, economic wisdom, the value of character, kindly attitudes, pleasure in work, the worth of organization, and the dignity of simplicity. Throughout the initiation process, I and countless other initiates were required to memorize and recite these upon request from a big brother.

Time value is a recognition of the importance of time, and the acknowledgement that one should guard and protect it. Best performance of duty is the act of doing your best at all times. Perseverance means continuing to reach for your goals despite difficulty or delay. The worth of example is the act of being a role model. The virtue of patience addresses the ability to wait for things to happen in their own time without becoming angry. Talent expression addresses sharing your gifts and talents with others. Economic wisdom speaks to being accountable and responsible in matters of finance.

The value of character is about doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. Kindly attitudes concentrates on maintaining a pleasant disposition at all times. Pleasure in work represents searching for a vocation that you enjoy, or finding something pleasurable about a work assignment that you don’t particularly like. The worth of organization focuses on behaving in an efficient, planned, businesslike manner. Finally, the dignity of simplicity is about presenting plans and ideas in a way that makes it easy for others to understand.

Why the 12-Inch Rule for Leadership?

Over the course of my close to forty years as a member of Phi Beta Sigma, my relationship with the fraternity varied from highly engaged and financially involved, to not engaged at all with no financial association. But the 12-Inch Rule never left me. One of my greatest sources of joy was attending conferences and meeting with brothers from back in the day, reminiscing about our experiences and challenging each other to recite the 12-Inch Rule.

As the years passed and we all progressed in our professional careers, I noticed that the individuals who maintained the 12-Inch Rule as part of their lexicon appeared to have a higher career trajectory. These individuals (including myself) seemed to be on the professional fast track. Besides becoming leaders in their communities, they were also leaders in their professions.

It was this observation that led me to take on this project. I wanted to understand how the 12-Inch Rule affected their approach to leadership, and by extension, the rise in their professional lives. I believe that understanding how these leaders used the 12-Inch Rule in their professional careers could provide a roadmap for people like Charles.

Charles (not his actual name) is a middle manager who is trying to advance in his career. He feels as though he’s done all the right things. He’s got a college degree, worked for his current company for five to ten years, and received good performance ratings. Yet, like eighty percent of the leaders who took part in a study conducted by McKinsey, he is uncertain about the future. He dreams of being recognized as a successful leader of individuals, teams, and organizations. Charles also looks forward to the financial benefits that come with such recognition. Currently, however, his focus is on acting decisively and gaining trust. He wants to improve his ability to manage priorities, and he wants to learn how to lead from within.

Right this minute, however, Charles would be ecstatic if he could just refine his existing leadership skills and become a more strategic leader. Unfortunately, Charles still needs to figure out how to master the competencies of effective executive leadership. And he needs to get better at focusing on the big picture, and upholding high standards while wearing many hats.

Charles feels frustrated because he’s not receiving the recognition he thinks he deserves. The company has passed him over for promotion, and he’s having trouble finding his leadership style. Plus, he still feels he needs to get the answers to these questions before he can move forward:

How to gain the trust of his team

How to effectively solve problems

How to be recognized as an emerging leader

Charles is also still hung up on the idea that leadership is complicated because there’s no easy-to-follow framework. He thinks that getting better will take too much time. In fact, Charles feels like the current approaches are outdated and won’t allow him to succeed. When all is said and done, Charles wants to refine and advance his existing leadership skills so that he can gain recognition for a promotion.

I believe the 12-Inch Rule can help every Charles of the world, regardless of industry. So, I decided to decode the 12-Inch Rule. To do this, I needed to understand how the Phi Beta Sigma 12-Inch Rule affected the leadership approach of those who were trained in it.

The